Policy, institutional, economic, and technology trends shaping food and farming systems.
In recent years, more and more people have turned to specialty coffee. It is genuinely fascinating, is it not? Some cups taste of chocolate, others bring to mind the bright pop of crackling candy, and still others carry the aroma of black tea. Then again, coffee can occasionally leave you…
I’m Xiaomi. In December 2021, aged 26, I resigned from a civil service training company. Unsure of what kind of work I wanted to do next, I returned home to prepare for the Chinese New Year. Over the holiday period, I began to reflect on my future direction, realising that…
Twenty hours later, my feet finally touched down, sinking into the deep snow of Lapland, northern Sweden. It was seven in the morning, and the skies above Jokkmokk had yet to fully brighten, yet the glare reflecting off the surrounding white expanse was already sufficient to make out the silhouettes…
For over six months, Dutch farmers have been protesting against nitrogen reduction policies. Amid this unrest, the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BoerBurgerBeweging, or BBB)—widely seen as a pro-farmer party—emerged as a dark horse in the Netherlands’ March regional elections. Founded just four years ago, the BBB not only captured nearly 20% of…
In 2022, Britain’s headlines were dominated by the Queen’s passing, Charles’s accession, soaring heating and electricity bills, and a revolving door of prime ministers. Yet, as the year drew to a close, another story captured the public’s attention: the “egg shortage”. For several weeks from November through December, major supermarkets…
“People never enjoy fermented drinks alone.” — *Undercooked: A History of Fermentation and Civilization* I. Meeting It was early summer in Beijing, 2020, during the initial phase of pandemic restrictions; everything still seemed manageable. The chaos of the new year and the hardship unfolding overseas had gradually receded into the…
Foodthink says Aside from being eaten, becoming waste is the final destination for a portion of all food. According to estimates by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, one-third of all food globally is ultimately lost or wasted, with a significant proportion ending up in the bin. Food waste, which…
Foodthink Says In Inner Mongolia, where the vast majority of pastoral families have settled into fixed grazing patterns, the grasslands are criss-crossed by wire fences. Consequently, there has been a rise in cases of stomach perforation from ingested wire among cattle and sheep. Meanwhile, in the Banners of Ordos, where…
I. Tang and Wen make their home in a valley threaded by a stream. The watercourse is modest, running at about half a metre deep, but it flows all year round and is even marked on maps. Heading south, it merges with several other waterways before feeding into the Ohio…
Author’s Note My partner, Mr Panghu, and I live in a small town in the Great Lakes region of the American Midwest. The local farmers’ market was founded nearly thirty years ago, and we have witnessed over a decade of its history. This series of short pieces aims to document…
